"I'm really happy we are launching auditions through YouTube. There is a lot of great talent online now, and especially young kids today are using YouTube to get themselves seen and heard," said Simon Cowell.

"It's very easy, and it is $5 million after all! I'm very excited to see the auditions that might come through this."

Mike Darnell, Fox's president of alternative entertainment, added that the show wanted to ensure that "every potential superstar in the country" has the opportunity to showcase their talent.

"YouTube allows us to broaden our talent search beyond our audition cities to the tens of millions of YouTube users in the US," he said.

Audition tapes should be two minutes in length and include a 30-second introduction on the performer. Successful audition applicants will then be given the opportunity to perform in front of the judges.